The Grounding of the Bahia Paraiso: A Continuing Study of the Environmental Fate of an Antarctic Oil Spill

阿根廷船只Bahia Paraiso在美国帕尔默站附近搁浅，凸显了解决急性释放、长期暴露和全球运输造成的碳氢化合物污染的必要性和潜力。这项研究将调查沿南极半岛碳氢化合物的分布、来源和命运。碳氢化合物是海洋和陆地系统中普遍存在的成分，代表了生物过程、当地污染、大气运输、再循环大陆物质和成岩作用的投入。碳氢化合物的生物地球化学循环包括各种相互作用，这些相互作用赋予了作为复杂过程示踪剂有用的特征成分。对碳氢化合物及其蚀变产物的详细分析将用于记录各种输入的相对重要性，并提供对决定污染物分布的过程的见解。在科学站附近采集的岩心将被用来记录人类在南极半岛造成的碳氢化合物污染的开始、组成和程度。这种历史观点将通过对用示踪剂方法测定年代的岩心样品的分析来提供。将分析帕尔默站附近收集的浅层沉积物以及偏远地区的浅层沉积物。收集到的数据将用于评估目前燃烧产物碳氢化合物的大气输送的重要性。局部人为、全球人为和自然燃烧碳氢化合物的相对重要性预计将得到解决。

The grounding of the Argentine ship Bahia Paraiso near the United States Palmer Station highlighted the need, and potential, for resolving hydrocarbon contamination due to acute releases, chronic exposure and global transport. This study will investigate the distribution, sources, and fate of hydrocarbons along the Antarctic Peninsula. Hydrocarbons are ubiquitous components of marine and terrestrial systems and represent inputs from biological processes, local contamination, atmospheric transport, recycled continental material and digenesis. The biogeochemical cycle of hydrocarbons encompasses a variety of interaction which impart characteristic compositions that are useful as tracers of complex processes. Detailed analysis of hydrocarbons and their alteration products will be used to document the relative importance of various inputs as well as provide insight into the processes that determine pollutant distributions. Cores taken close to scientific stations will be used to document the onset, composition, and magnitude of hydrocarbon pollution caused by man's presence on the Antarctic Peninsula. This historical perspective will be provided by the analysis of core samples dated by tracer methods. Shallow sediments collected near Palmer Station will be analyzed as well as surficial sediments from remote areas. Data collected will be used to assess the importance of present day atmospheric transport of combustion product hydrocarbons. The relative importance of localized anthropogenic, global anthropogenic and natural combustion hydrocarbons is expected to be resolved.